SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose State begins a 10-game road swing on Tuesday as they head to Sacramento for a 5:00 p.m. contest against Sacramento State. The game was moved up from its original 7:00 p.m. start time due to expected inclement weather.
Game No. 21
San José State (12-7, 6-3) at Sacramento State (12-7)
Tuesday, March 19 | 5:00 p.m. PT
John Smith Field |Sacramento, Calif.
QUICK LOOK AT THE HORNETS
Sacramento State is riding an eight-game win streak heading into Tuesday's contest. Led by 9th-year head coach Reggie Christiansen, the Hornets are batting .223 as a team and have a collective 3.14 ERA.
LEADING THE PACK
San Jose State currently sits atop the Mountain West standings with a 6-3 mark in league play and 12-7 overall. The Spartans are the only team in the league above .500 in conference play.
LAST TIME OUT
The Spartans swept UNLV at home in 2-1, 6-5, 7-6 decisions. Kellen Strahm led the offense with a .636 average going 7-for-11 at the plate with four RBI, three runs scored, a double and a triple. Fineas Del Bonta-Smith picked up MW Pitcher of the Week honors after securing a win and two saves for the series.
BATS STAY SIZZLIN'
The Spartans are boasting one of the best offenses in the nation this season, ranking second in the conference and 14th nationally with a .313 batting average. Kellen Strahm has been phenomenal ranking fourth in the NCAA in batting average (.473), 3rd in hits (35), fourth in hits per game (1.21) and 12th in on-base percentage (.554).
HOME SWEET HOME
The Spartans have been on their A-game in games played inside Municipal Stadium. SJSU is currently 8-3 in home games and hitting .297 in front of the home fans.
20-20 VISION
SJSU has scored 20 runs not once, but twice already in 2019. The first time came in the series finale at Santa Clara in a 20-10 win.
The second time came in the series finale at New Mexico as the Spartans won 22-18 in a nine-inning game that last 4:52.
STRAHM STAYS STRONG
Junior outfielder Kellen Strahm has proven himself as one of the most feared hitters in the Mountain West in 2019. He currently leads the conference in hits (35) and batting average (.473). He is also second in runs (23) and is tied for first with 11 stolen bases.
A PERFORMANCE FOR THE AGES
Senior left-handed pitcher Andrew Mitchel put on one of the finest performances on the mound in SJSU history on March 8 in the Spartans 4-1 win over Air Force. The Atwater, California, product tossed a complete game with 18 strikeouts, the most thrown at any level in the NCAA so far this season. The strikeout total ranks second most in a nine-inning game in school history and is also the second-most in Mountain West history, ranking only behind Stephen Strasburg's 23.
MW PITCHERS OF THE WEEK
The Spartans have been honored by the league office in back-to-back weeks as Andrew Mitchel and Fineas Del Bonta-Smith are the reining Mountain West Pitchers of the Week. Mitchel earned the honor first for his 18-strikeout performance while Bonta-Smith picked up the award after a combined effort in the UNLV series in which he secured a win to improve to 2-1 and tallied two saves to bring his season total to five.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Tuesday's game is the first of 10-straight road games the Spartans will play in the next two weeks. After wrapping up play in Sacramento, SJSU heads to Fresno State for a weekend series before traveling across the country for a road swing at Michigan and Northwestern before returning to the bay area for a road contest at the University of San Francisco. The Spartans won't play at Municipal Stadium again until April 5 in game one vs. New Mexico.
SECOND YEAR FOR SANFILIPPO
Head coach Brad Sanfilippo had an outstanding first season at the helm of SJSU baseball as interim coach in 2018, leading the Spartans to a 27-30 overall record and a third-place finish in the Mountain West standings with a 16-14 record, their most conference wins since 2008. Sanfilippo was promoted to head coach following the season on June 12, 2018.
